


Beacon Dance

by GreenArmadilloette



Series: Ironwitch Week 2020 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Ironwitch Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26565409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenArmadilloette/pseuds/GreenArmadilloette
Summary: Written for Ironwitch Week 2020. Day 1: Beacon Dance.Turned out to be more of a James character piece.
Relationships: Glynda Goodwitch/James Ironwood
Series: Ironwitch Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932064
Kudos: 3





	Beacon Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Set during V2. Written specifically to create a larger, more immersive and interconnected setting.

James knows that Beacon doesn’t need more chaperones for the dance. His arthritis is acting up, despite the warm weather, and it’s only going to get worse as the night goes on. The Council of Vale brought him in to protect the city following the Dust robberies, not to attend school dances. There’s half a dozen more reasons not to attend. But Glynda always gets bored monitoring a bunch of hormonal students for a whole night.

He goes.

James is late, held up by the Council of Vale yammering about everything and doing nothing. He should have ducked out when Ozpin did, instead of staying. If it hadn’t been for Stanton interrupting and unceremoniously dismissing everyone, James would have been there until the wee hours of morning. Despite being the most junior Councilman in both age and length of service, Stanton has a certain demeanor that makes others acquiesce, thank Brothers. 

At the door, James is greeted by a cheerful girl with bright hair - he thinks she may be one of Summer’s girls, but he can’t be sure. James casts his eyes around. He sees Winter’s sister fixing a vase of flowers before Penny’s guards spot him. They start to straighten up into a salute, but James stops them with a slight shake of his head. The men fade back into the background again. 

He should have kept pressing Pietro to let Penny have a minder closer to her own age, James thinks, someone more discrete. He had even convinced Pietro to let Penny go without guards, when she left for Beacon. But then she had slipped away from her trainer and into the city before getting into a fight on the docks, and there was no way Pietro was going to let Penny wander around without guards any time soon. She wanted to participate in the Tournament, too, but Penny didn’t even have a team. Ciel’s was down a member though, Matin had called to him to complain about a flakey boy who withdrew recently. Ciel was the good kid, James decides, one who could keep Penny out of trouble. And, in turn, Penny might even be able to draw Ciel out of her shell.

James catches sight of Glynda, looking annoyed and standing with Ozpin across the room. While he’s skirting around the dance floor, he keeps an eye on the two teenagers hiding at the punch bowl to make sure they aren’t going to spike it. Apparently, Pete and the lanky man he’s chatting with are too involved in their conversation to perform chaperone duties themselves. But by the time that James comes in range to shoo the teens away from the punch, it becomes clear that they are just socially awkward and hiding, not mischievous and plotting. He lets them be.

Glynda is turned away, so James quickly rearranges his face into something more neutral. She dislikes when he comes on too strong in front of company. Glynda also prefers to hide behind the pretense that Ozpin is unaware about them - despite the fact that she had been  _ in a meeting  _ with the man when James had called her, out of the blue over a year ago. 

James wordlessly taps on her shoulder and gives a slight bow before she rolls her eyes and lets him lead her way. Over her shoulder, he can see Ozpin smirking at them. Then the corner of Glynda’s mouth quirks up and there is nothing James can do to brace himself from the onslaught of warmth bursting in his chest.

Glynda returns to frowning, the entire time they dance. James smiles and holds her close anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> What was Ironwood’s cover when he rolled up to Vale with an army? Literally the only people who remark on a foreign army hanging out on their doorstep are those who were personally invested in its presence - the Ozluminati and Cinder’s group. And why would he even be at what amounts to a high school dance?
> 
> Why was Penny alone in Vale in V1 but had bodyguards V2 and then only a teenage minder in V3? Who was the guy who picked her up at the end of V1? Why didn’t she show up at the end of V2? It’s not like she’d blow her cover because she ends up participating in the Vytal Tournament.


End file.
